Equalizer dampening means for railway car trucks



C. L. ORR

Jan. 28, 1941.

EQUALIZER DAMPENING MEANS FOR RAILWAY CAR TRUCKS Filed March 15, 1959 4Sheets-Sheet l C. L. ORR

Jan. 28, 1941.

EQUALIZER DAMPENING MEANS FOR RAILWAY CAR TRUCKS Filed March 15, 1939 4Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. 28, 1. ORR r 2,229,767

EQUALIZER DAMPENING MEANS FOR RAILWAY CAR TRUCKS Filed March 15, 1959 4Sheets-Sheet 3 c. L. ORR 2 ,7 7

EQUALIZER DAMPENING MEANS FOR RAILWAY CAR TRUCKS Jan. 28, 1941.

Filed March 15, 1939 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 .iRiiiih I'll! m way/4mm?)Patented Jan. 28, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EQUALIZER. DAMPENINGMEANS FOR RAIL- WAY CAR TRUCKS Application March 15,

11 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in railway car trucks and moreparticularly to equalizer dampening means for eight-wheel trucks.

In eight-wheel trucks of the equalizer type, I have considered thequestion of excessive equalizer oscillations under extremely rough trackconditions. Such oscillations may cause excess wear at the equalizerfulcrum pin and the end frame connections, as well as contribute to theoscillation of the spring groups in the end frame members.

The tendency for the equalizer to oscillate excessively will increase aswear between the connections reduce the friction at these points, and inorder to meet this situation, should the case arise, I have developedcertain novel constructions for the purpose of dampening the equalizingaction.

Other, further and more specific objects of my invention will becomereadily apparent to persons skilled in the art, from a consideration ofthe following description when taken in conjunction with the drawings,wherein- Fig- 1 is a side elevation of one-half of an eight wheel truckprovided with one form of my improvements, it being understood that theother half of the truck is exactly the same as the half illustrated.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the medial portion of such a truck andshowing other forms of my improvements.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a leaf spring employed in the constructionillustrated in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a. fragment of a truck and illustrating aleaf spring type of cscillation dampener.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but showing a block of rubber or thelike employed for dampening purposes.

Fig. 6 is a. top plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is also a top cf the invention.

Fig. 8 is a side elevation partly in elevation of the structure shown inFig. 7.

Figs. 9 and 10 are views similar to Figs. 7 and S but illustrating astill further modification.

The truck with which I employ my improve- 50 ments may be of the typedisclosed in my application, Serial No. 197,927. Such a truck has eightwheels H carrying axles (not shown) journalled in boxes 12 and I3. Endframe members 14 are carried partially by the boxes I! and 55 aremovably connected at their inner ends as plan view of another form 1939,Serial No. 262,022 (0!. 105483) indicated at [5 to the ends of anequalizer I 6. The medial member l4. Obviously a similar constructionwill be provided at the opposite end of the equalizer so that rotationof the equalizer in either direction requires the compression of thecoil spring at one end or the otherof the member, and any force rotatingthe equalizer must be great enough to compress one of the springs. Inthis manner, equalizer oscillation, due to light loads, is reduced.

In Fig. 2, I have illustrated a construction in which leaf springs 2|are employed instead of coil springs. In this construction one end ofeach bya bracket 22 to the end struction, rotation of the equalizer ineither direction requires the upward deflection of the leaf spring atone end or the other of the equalizer.

In Fig. 2 I have also illustrated an additional dampening device w 'chmay be employed either alone or with dampening devices arranged at theends of the equalizer. The additional device is shown applied to thebottom of the equalizer which depends upon friction for its dampeningaction. In this form ends of the leaf spring 24 rest upon pads 21 formedwithin the intermediate side frame member I811, and the spring is shapedso that it must be deflected at the center a certain amount by thebottom of the equalizer when the latter is applied to the intermediateframe. This causes the ends of the spring to exert vertical pressure onthe pads 27 and the friction force between the pads and the ends of thespring is proportional to the vertical pressure between the two partsand 2 resists the sliding action of the spring on the pads.

Rotation of the equalizer in either direction causes the lug 28 tocontact one side of the hole 25 and slide the ends of the spring overthepads 2'! against the friction force developed there. The resistanceoffered by this friction serves to resist the equalizer motion anddampens its oscillations.

Fig. 4 shows a modification similar to that at the ends of the equalizerin Fig. 2. In this embodiment a leaf spring 28 has one of its endssecured to a bracket 29 on the equalizer I61), and

its end portion bears at its top surface against an arc-shaped portion30 arranged at the end of a horn 3| rigidly united with an end framemember lb of the truck.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, a block32 of rubber or the like is supported above the equalizer andend frameconnection I50 by means of brackets 33 and 34 provided respectively onthe tops of the end frame member M0 and equalizer I60. Lugs 35 on thebrackets project toward one another and extend into the block. Thelatter is applied to one of the brackets before the end frame memberandequalizer are connected and held in proper alignment with the lug 35on the other bracket as the frame member and equalizer are movedtogether and connected by the equalizer belt 150. Of course, a similarconstruction is used at the opposite end of the equalizer.

When the equalizer rotates out of horizontal position, the lugs 35 movevertically relative to one another thereby subjecting the rubber blocksat both ends to vertical shearing deformations.

At the downwardly moving end of the equalizer, the brackets 33 and 34move toward each other, thereby subjecting the elastic block at this endto a horizontal compressible deformation. At the upwardly moving end,the brackets move away from each other and would subject the rubberblock at that end to a horizontal tensile deformation if it were securedto the vertical faces of the brackets. This, however, is notcontemplated, and this tensile deformation can not be depended upon toresist the equalizer movements.

Since rubber is a highly resilient material, the

forces set up in the rubber blockby the shearing and compressivedeformations resist the equalizer movement and tend to dampen excessiveoscillation.

Figs. '7 to 10 inclusive, illustrate other dampening devices in whichthe resilient material is rubber or the like. In the form of theinvention illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8, the inner end portion of thesideframe member Hid is provided with a hole Rid of larger diameter than thebolt l5e emp'loyed in connecting the same to the equalizer member Mid,and the end of the side frame member terminates in a substantiallyvertical surface 33. This surface cooperates with a block 31 of rubberwhich is set in a pocket 38 in an end portion of the equalizer memberHid. Wear or protector plates 38 are provided at opposite sides of theblock and the block and plates are protected by a cover plate 40, whichmay be welded to the equalizer. member as indicated at 4|. When theequalizer member rotates'about its fulcrum pin in Fig. l), the spacebetween the extremity 36 of the side frame and the back wall of thepocket 33 decreases at the downwardly moving end and increases at theupwardly moving end. The equalizer connection bolt hole l5d being larger(corresponding to the fulcrum pin l1 by the members uniformly over therubber block.

The structure shown in Figs. 9 and 10 is similar to that illustrated inFigs. '7 and 8 with the exception that I make the top plate 42 integralwith the wear plate 43 and secure the composite plate in position bywelding at 44.

Obviously the plates 40 and 42 serve to protect the rubberblock fromweather, foreign objects, etc.

When used in a truck of the type disclosed in my application Serial No.197,927, the rubber blocks also assist in propelling the intermediateportion of the truck, which consists of the equalizer, intermediateframe, and the two intermediate axles and their wheels, thereby reducingthe forces which are transmitted through the bolts, which connect theend frame members to the equalizer member.

Many modifications of the invention will be apparent to those skilled inthe art without departing therefrom or from the scope of the claims, andsince the foregoing disclosure has been given by way of examples forclearness and understanding, no unnecessary limitations should beunderstood and the appended claims should be construed as broadly as thestate of the art permits.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a car truck, a wheel-supported intermediate side frame member, anoscillatable equalizer member carried by said side frame member, endframe members movably connected to the ends of the equalizer member, andmeans for dampening oscillations of the equalizer member.

2. In a car truck. a wheel-supported intermediate side frame member, anoscillatable equalizer member carried by said side frame member, endframe members movably connected to the ends of the equalizer member, andmeans for dampening oscillations of the equalizer' member, said meanscomprising an elastic element carried by one member and bearing againsta part rigidly united with another one of the members.

3. In a car truck, a wheel-supported intermediate side frame member, anoscillatable equalizer member carried by said side frame member, endframe members movably connected to the ends of the equalizer member, andmeans for dampening oscillations of the equalizer member, said meanscomprising a metallic spring carried by one of the members, and aprojection rigidly united with another one of and engaging said spring.a

4. In a car truck, a wheel-supported intermediate side frame member, anoscillatable equalizer member carried by said side frame member, endframe members movably connected to the ends of the equalizer member, andmeans for dampening oscillations of the equalizer member, said meanscomprising a metallic spring secured. to an end portion of one of thememthe members bers and having a free end bearing against an end portionof another one of the members.

5. In a car truck, a wheel-supported intermediate side frame member, anoscillatable equalizer member carried by said side frame member, endframe members movably connected to the ends of the equalizer member, andmeans for dampening oscillations of the equalizer member, said meanscomprising a leaf spring having one of its ends secured to one of saidmembers and hearing at its opposite end against an end portion of theother member.

6. In a car truck, a wheel-supported intermediate side frame member,

to the ends of the equalizer member, and means for dampeningoscillations of the equalizer member, said means comprising a block ofresilient material.

7. In a car truck, a Wheel-supported intermediate side frame member, anoscillatable equalizer member carried by said side frame member, endframe members movably connected to the ends of the equalizer member, andmeans for dampening oscillations of the equalizer member, said meanscomprising abutment surfaces arranged upon adjacent ends of theequalizer member and one of the end frame members, and a block ofresilient material arranged between said surfaces.

8. In a car truck, a wheel-supported intermediate side frame member, anoscillatable equalizer member carried by said side frame member, endframe members movably connected ends of the equalizer member, and meansfor dampening oscillations of the equalizer member, said meanscomprising a resilient :blOCk member, and a protecting cover plate forsaid block secured to the equalizer member.

10. In a car truck, a wheel-supported intermember, end frame membersmovably connected to the ends of the equalizer member, and means fordampening oscillations of the equalizer member, said means comprising aresilient block arranged between the inner extremity of one of the endframe members and an end portion of the equalizer member, metallicplates arranged at opposite sides of the block, and means forming acover for the block.

11. In a car truck, an intermediate side frame member, an oscillatableequalizer member pivotally supported at its medial portion by the medialportion of said side frame member for movement about a horizontal axis,end frame members havin their inner ends movably connected to the endsof the equalizer member, and means for dampening oscillations of theequalizer member.

CLAUDE L. ORR.

